This Too
by Veralee
Summary: Nothing seems to be right, as two different groups vy against unstoppable odds to reach the Fountain of Youth. Sparrabeth.


Ah, the obligatory introductory note. I've just seen the last movie, At World's End, and I feel compelled to begin writing once again. So, there ARE MOVIE SPOILERS included in this story. I don't rehash what happened, but if you haven't seen the movie, you should hypothetically be able to figure out what's going on. This begins precisely where the last movie left off, excluding that bit after the credits.

Thanks for reading and as always, I appreciate any and all constructive input.

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**SCENE: Aboard the Black Pearl, precisely as Barbossa and the men discover that the map is missing a critical section.**

"I knew it! I jus' knew it was bad dealin' to be leavin' Cap'n Jack again like that," Pintel says, throwing his hands up in the air. He turns to Ragetti and shoves him, pushing his shoulder. "An' it's all yer fault. You didn't stop me from tellin' 'em not to do it!"

"But, but, I was jus' doin' as you told me to. How was I supposed to know that th'Captain here let Cap'n Jack run off with the map!" Ragetti complains, stepping back from Pintel defensively. "An' it wasn't my idea," he turns to look right at Barbossa.

Barbossa rolls the useless map up and turns his unhappy glare upon the arguing crew members. "Shut it, the lot of yehs," he snaps. "I won't have it. Y'all will just have t'mind what you say, or you can find yer OWN way back to Tortuga. I won't have this bickerin' on my ship."

The crewmembers continue to speak over Barbossa, at first, but by the time he reaches 'Tortuga' there's dead silence. A moment of pause goes by, but not without a grin becoming plastered onto each man's face.

"Tortuga?" Pintel asks, slowly, but with obvious pleasure at the thought of the place.

Barbossa nods gruffly and turns away from the crew, his hands on the ship's wheel, taking control. "Aye, Tortuga. Where else'll we find ol' Jack?" It's obvious from the angry way he spits out the name Jack that the conversation is most certainly over now. The crewmembers don't seem to pick up on the hint, however, and Barbossa snaps with irritation, "To yer stations! Full sails! Get going, yeh bilge rats!"

With an air of excitement and anticipation, calls echo across the ship for the ship to come to attention. Ropes are untied, sails are unfurled, and there is a great deal general swashbuckling activity as the Black Pearl makes its way back to the infamous port of Tortuga.

**SCENE: The Wicked Lotus, early morning.**

The fog that chokes the air is just beginning to dissipate with the morning sun. The general stickiness makes Elizabeth's silk clothes stick uncomfortably to her body, while her hair is matted to her head. The black circles beneath her eyes allude to the fact that she's gotten no sleep since she's left Will, and in addition to that, her crew has not given her a break since she's her institution as Captain.

Dragging her tired body out of the Captain's Quarters, Elizabeth surveys the quiet deck. The few souls who are up at this godforsaken hour are sitting, half-drunk, wherever they please. With an irritated growl, the young woman heads over to the first crewman she spots.

While she didn't recognize the man previously, as she gets closer it becomes apparent that it is Tai Huang, her First Mate. Elizabeth kicks him hard in the shin, once she reaches him. "First Mate Huang," she says angrily, borderline screeching. "While I realize that you must have enjoyed the celebration festivities tonight..." she eyes the hung over Tai. "And the night before that... and the night before that... but I assure you, Mister Huang, that I am quickly running out of patience for this."

Tai groggily looks up at Elizabeth. He's sprawled on the ground, a bottle of something that is undoubtedly alcoholic resting against his thigh. He squints, but thankfully for him, there is little light at this hour. "You aren't Sao Feng," he slurs, referring to the former Captain of the Wicked Lotus. "Jus 'cause you were there when he died, doesn't make you him. You got to earn that an' as far as I seen, you're jus' some pretty little girl too far from home."

"I will not stand for this," Elizabeth answers, stomping a foot for emphasis. "I will not stand for it all. We need to make port; you of all people should know how important that is. Your sake won't last long if we don't resupply. I expect you to do your job, instead of.. instead of.." She seems too angry for words. "Instead of holding onto some petty grudge!"

Wiping his forehead in a slow, unconcerned manner, Tai states, "If you stopped actin' like a child, I wouldn't have to treat you like one. /Captain/." He pauses to frown at her. "You may have gotten us through that last battle, but you'd be mistaken to think you could do it again. That was nothin' but pure luck."

"Pure luck! Honestly," Elizabeth grumbles, affronted. "Let me make something quite clear to you, First Mate Tai," she says, poking Tai's shoulder. "You do not know me or what I'm capable of. When you're finished casting aspirations on my ability to govern this ship, perhaps we can actually accomplish something instead of sitting here drunk in the middle of the ocean." She kicks his bottle over, spilling the little liquid still left within. "You never even gave me a chance. Think about that."

As she begins to stalk away, pissed off, Tai shouts, "Captain, wait!" If he hadn't said Captain, Elizabeth would have likely continued on her way. But, thusly, she turns back, eyebrow raised expectantly. "What? Are you prepared to follow my command, now?"

Tai lazily gets to his feet, but looks overall, a bit more alert. "I won't pretend to trust you. You're a foreigner, a woman, and a stranger to us. But, I shall honor Sao Feng's memory and his decision." There's a heavy pause, where an unspoken 'for now' hangs in the air.

Elizabeth crosses her arms over her abdomen, her temper beginning to cool. "The men respect you, Tai," she says, speaking informally and frankly. "If you could bridge the gap between us... I would be in your debt. I desire nothing more than friendship with my crew. Please understand; I am not your enemy."

A frown crosses Tai's features, but it's one borne of deep concentration, as he rubs his chin in thought. "I cannot promise anything. I shall try, however," he concedes, nodding his head sharply. He doesn't spare any unnecessary words after his last, rather disrespectful, speech.

"Oh, thank you, Tai," Elizabeth says, a true smile breaking through her dirty and tired exterior. "You have no idea how much I appreciate that. I just want to do right by everyone."

Tai quirks a half-smile, though if he's laughing at her or with her, is uncertain. "Indeed. If you'll excuse me, I believe we have a port to reach," he says, bowing ever so slightly. Without waiting for an answer, he leaves towards the staircase to head below deck.

The breeze starts to pick up, but by now, the sky has turned light and clear. Elizabeth meanders over to the side of the Wicked Lotus, leading on the railing and looking out towards the calm sea. A deep sigh rises forth from her tired self, as she says under her breath, "Oh, Will. You'd know how to get me out of this mess." But she's far from her husband, in both distance and time. "Nine years and 260 days, Will. That's not so long, huh?" But it sounds weak even to her own ears.

**SCENE: Dingy, early afternoon.**

A delirious cackle rises forth from the miniscule little dingy. "Mwahahah," Jack laughs, lying in a rather uncomfortable position. There's a bottle of rum in his left hand, while the other blocks out the pinnacled sun. "A pirate's life for me! Ahahahaha!" He's hysterical at this point.

"An' this is the life. I've got sun, sea, and rum. Ahah!" he says, to himself. Literally, he speaks to himself, as he envisions a second of himself sitting on the far side of the dingy. He raises his bottle and takes a large, lengthy swig of the ambrosia.

His second drawls, "Oh yes Jackie. Lost at sea really does it for you, eh?" He grins rakishly, however, as if he's amused by his original's misfortune. "I don't see any sea turtles anywhere, either..."

The original Jack sits up, looking a bit dizzy at the sudden vertigo. Pointing a finger at the second Jack, he slurs, "Now lisshhen... lissttin, you! Captain Jack Sparrow does NOT get lost. He merely /adventures without direction/." The last bit is said delicately, but was obviously made up on the spot.

"An', you know what?" the original Jack asks, looking over at his second.

"What's that?" is the second's immediate, curious answer. He leans forward slightly, with his elbows on his bent knees.

"You've been voted off of the dingy," the original states, mercilessly kicking a booted foot at his spare. The fact that he hits him on the first time is just a testament to his practice at this, as his coordination is remarkable for someone as drunk as he is. The second Jack falls backwards into the water, which is not a particularly long distance, considering the rather diminutive size of the boat.

The second Jack splutters in the water, his arms flailing. "Hey! Hey you!" He tries to climb back into the boat, but the original just whacks him with the oar, sending him farther away. To lengthen the distance between them, Jack begins rowing away. That, combined with the helpful wind, brings Jack far enough away so that his counterpart's shouts cannot be heard. Or at least, barely.

Jack brings the oars back into the dingy and leans back, murmuring to his bottle, "Now where were we?" The bottle no sooner touches his lips however, before the shouting returns. "JACK! Jack!"

"Bloody hell, LEAVE ME ALONE," he growls, the bottle falling down once again. But, now in his sight, is a magnificent vessel. It's obviously oriental, if its architecture is anything to judge by. "Bloody hell," Jack repeats. "Just wonderful." He takes another swig of rum; he'll need it.

"Jack!" the voice atop the oriental ship continues to shriek. Ah yes, it can most certainly be discerned as a feminine voice now. No man would scream in such a way. No /real/ man, in any case. Jack doesn't bother to answer. It'll bother her more if he doesn't, so he just stands and takes yet another swig of rum.

A rope is thrown over the side of the ship, landing squarely in the dingy. No ladders for pirates, they simply aren't manly enough. "C'mon Jack! Climb up," Elizabeth demands, tucking her blowing hair behind her ears.

"And what if I should refuse your kind and eloquent offer?" Jack answers, sounding uninterested. Even now, he doesn't look at Elizabeth. Instead, he speaks to his rum bottle, his one true friend. Rum's never let him down!

Elizabeth huffs in irritation, glaring down at Jack. More crewmembers congregate nearby, to see what all the fuss is about. "Do you WANT to drift aimlessly until you die, then?" she asks, sounding not just a little sarcastic.

"Didn't seem to bother you before," Jack points out, finally glancing upward. However, as much as it pains him, he recorks the rum and stuffs it down his filthy, threadbare shirt. His hat returns to grace his head and he glances around, just to see if there's anything else he might have forgotten. With the map thankfully hidden in his coat, the dingy is empty. "Alright, then."

Grabbing the rope, he jumps and swings so that his feet meet with the side of the boat. From there, Jack manages to climb vertically and swing himself over the side of the boat. If he's tired from the activity, he doesn't let it show, as he stands on the Wicked Lotus as if he owns the place. "Was that so hard, now?" Elizabeth says, immediately starting in on him.

Jack barely, just barely, resists the urge to roll his eyes at him. "No/your highness/," he says, with faux respect. "Again, I am at the mercy of your good will. That wasn't hard at all."

"Oh, Jack," Elizabeth starts, but Jack cuts her off.

"Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow," he corrects, eyebrows raised, as if daring her to argue with it.

Elizabeth bristles, but rephrases, "Captain Jack Sparrow. Welcome to the Wicked Lotus." She glances out to the seas, not truly expecting to see anything, but for emphasis. "I don't see the Pearl anywhere. What happened?"

"Temporarily under new management," he growls in response. Pulling the rum back out of his shirt, he adds, "I was on my way to her, in fact. Before my voyage was so rudely interrupted."

In all this time, absolutely nothing's been done on the ship. Turning around to her crew, Elizabeth says, "I don't remember giving you all a holiday! Back to work, if you would be so very kind." Her words, while they may be pretty, are not said particularly nicely. "And you, Captain. Jack. Sparrow," she continues, approaching the man in question. "Will grace me with a better explanation. What happened?"

The crowd dissipates shortly, after receiving additional instructions from Tai Huang in their native language. Jack begins to walk towards the upper deck, where the wheel is located, and where they are less likely to be overheard. "It appears that they've mutinied, yet again," Jack says, as Elizabeth waves off the man who was previously manning the wheel.

Taking it in hand herself, she glances over at Jack. "I'm truly sorry to hear that," she says, sounding sympathetic.

"Hardly a surprise by this point," Jack says, leaning nonchalantly on the railing near Elizabeth. "Barbossa's influence, undoubtedly. But, he's underestimated me, yet again." His grin returns, as he strokes his beaded beard braids. "But, I don't suppose you'd be interested in hearing about a potential venture. What with you..." his nose wrinkles a fraction "... moping."

While one hand remains on the wheel, Elizabeth's other finds its way to her hip, indignantly. "I am not moping! And what would you know about it," she fumes. "What's this venture? Hm?"

Jack eyes Elizabeth askance, not truly looking at her. "Aqua de Vida. The fountain of youth," he says, in a low voice.

Elizabeth's hand trembles on the wheel, an unusual occurrence in and of itself. "Jack, don't joke with me like that," she answers, looking straight at him. Their eyes meet, if briefly, but it's her that turns away first. "How?" is her only question.


End file.
